


"Arrête!"

by AriRashkae



Series: Red vs Blue Bingo War 2017 [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen, RvB Bingo War 2017, Team: Medic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 02:50:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10653384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriRashkae/pseuds/AriRashkae
Summary: For the Medic Square "Near Death Experience"





	"Arrête!"

_“Geneviève, arrête!”_

Cali eased her finger back off the trigger and rested it along the guard. The mercenary whimpering under her knee would probably never know how close he came to meeting his maker, before Locus’ shout froze her. He tried to push himself up, but she tapped the muzzle of her stolen pistol to the back of his neck and he flattened back down.

“Your French is still atrocious,” she commented.

Locus lowered his rifle slightly. “And yet it’s still better than your Italian.”

“And the horse you rode in on, sugar,” she replied sweetly.

Felix stormed up to them. “Care to explain?”

She tilted her head, examining the man she had pinned. “Not particularly.”

“Do it anyway,” he snapped.

She shifted, sitting down on the merc’s back and crossing her legs at the ankles. The hand with the pistol rested lightly on his shoulder blades. “Most of you here served in the military before, correct?” she asked, looking around. At the various nods and murmurs of assent, she tapped the back of her neck. “So most of you have the basic IFF implants.” Again, nods. 

“What’s your point?” Felix demanded.

“Patience, doll. I know it’s difficult for you, but try.” She scanned the room again as Locus laid a hand on Felix’s shoulder, restraining him from any further outbursts. “Any of you serve with someone with Command-level interfaces?” Two or three of them nodded. “Hmmmm.” Her seat shifted again, and she tapped his neck with her pistol. “Stop that.” When he stilled, she patted his thigh. “Good boy.”

The three of them were probably the only ones close enough to catch Locus’ strangled little snort.

“Freelancer neural implants are as far beyond Command as Command are beyond IFF. And before you ask why _that_ is important, I would like to remind the two of you just _what_ was in Blood Gulch along with ‘those loser Sim Troopers.’ And I know you two know what I’m talking about”

She saw the moment they put it together. “That still doesn’t explain why you nearly executed one of our soldiers,” Locus said.

Now she looked back to Felix. “Weren’t you the least bit curious as to why I was so willing to believe you when you told me Wash had taken Xi?” 

Felix and Locus looked to each other. “The thought had occurred to us,” Felix admitted.

“I was willing to believe you because there is only one proper way to implant and AI or remove an implanted AI without causing neurological damage. And the only person on this planet with that knowledge is Agent Washington, also known as Recovery One.”

“With that in mind, I will tell you that Michael J. Caboose has hosted four different AI over multiple occasions, at least once hosting three at the same time, and only one of those could come close to a proper field implantation.” She looked around at the mercenaries staring down at her. “So, if he shoots at you, shoot back; this is war, after all. But if you ever – and I mean _ever_ – think about insulting him again,” she leaned over and ran her pistol along the mercenary’s cheek, gentle as a caress, “I want you to remember just how _differently_ this could have gone.”

She gracefully rose to her feet and strolled off under the silent stares of the room.

“You know,” Felix said casually, “I think I actually missed her.”

**Author's Note:**

> Original posting [here](http://arirashkae.tumblr.com/post/159452084546/arr%C3%AAte)


End file.
